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J. P. JAMISON.

PROCESS OF ORNAMBNTING WOOD.

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JOHN P. J AMISON, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW ENGLAND DECORATING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTSMOUTH, N. H.

' .PROCESS OF ORNAMENTING WOOD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,469, dated January 30, 1883. Application filed September 16, 1882. (Specimens) To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN P. JAMISON, of Cambridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Process of Embossing Wood, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved process of ornamenting wood in imitation of carving by means of embossing dies or rolls.

Many attempts have been made to emboss wood upon the side of the grain by subjecting it, under pressure, to the action of embossingdies to produce thereon a figure or design in relief or intaglio, but with indifferent success, owing to the fact that the grain of the wood would very often break atpoints not intended, or pieces would split or peel up, and thus injure the work. After a long series of experiments I have succeeded in overcoming these difficulties by a peculiar treatment or preparation of the wood, which efl'ectually prevents the wood breaking or splitting under the action of the dies orrolls.

My improved process consists, in first treating the piece of dressed wood that is to be ornamented to a coating of glue or other glutinous equivalent mixed with acetic acid, and allowing it to stand till the coating is thoroughly dried and becomes hard, then giving it a coating of oil, and subjecting it, under pressure, to the action of heated dies.

Figure l of the drawings is a plan of a strip of wood ornamented by my improved process. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the embossing dieroll; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a pair of pressure-rolls, illustrating the manner of subjecting the strip of wood to the action of the embossing-dies. I

A is the die-roll, having engraved upon its periphery the reverse of the desired design that is to be imparted to the strip of wood, and B is the bed-roll, which supports the strip of wood C while it is being acted upon by the embossing or die roll,said rolls being mounted in hearings in suitable frames, and having pressure applied thereto in any well-known manner.

In applying my improved process the strip of wood 0 is first dressed to the desired outline in cross-section, except that the surface to be ornamented is left a plain fiat surface. The surface to be ornamented is then coated with a mixture of glue and acetic acid and allowed to dry for several hours, or till the coating becomes hard. The coated surface is then rubbed with oil to prevent the glue, when heated, from adhering to the die, and the wood is then passed between the bed-roll B and the die-roll A, as shown in Fig. 3, the die-roll A being sufliciently heated by live steam passing through its hollow shaft a, or by gas jets or otherwise, to melt the coating of glue and cause it to be forced into the pores of the wood, whereby the grain is thoroughly filled and the fibers toughened, so that they will not break or sliver up under the action of the embossing-die.

l have found fish-glue to be the best for the purpose, and prefer to combine it with acetic acid in the proportion of two parts of the former to one of the latter; but these proportions may be varied somewhat, and other kinds of glue or glutinous matter-such as common glue and gum-shellac-may be used with a good degree of success, and hence I do not wish to be limited to any particular kind of glue, or to the exact proportions above named. The acetic acid acts upon the wood to partially decompose or soften its fibers, and thus render it better adapted to receive the desired embossing.

This process has been in practical use in ornamenting wood for fine furniture for several months past with great success, and hence is not an untried or theoretical invention.

While I prefer to use revolving cylindrical dies as the best for carrying out my process, it is obvious that for small surfaces tlat reciprocating dies may be used without changing or affecting my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The process of ornamenting wood, which consists in first coating the wood with a mixture of dissolved glutinous matter and acetic I acid, allowing said coating to dry or become hard, rubbing it over. with oil, and then subjecting it to the action of heated dies under pressure, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 14th day of September, A. D. 1882.

Witnesses: JOHN P. JAMISON.

N. (J. LOMBARD, 4 W. E. LOMBARD.

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